Reunited
by Emslovesherwriting
Summary: A sequel to the ghost adventure story: a ferry ghost. Maddy joins the crew once again where they travel to America to investigate the strange goings on in a strange house.
1. Chapter 1

I was brought back to two months ago when I was part of the lockdown in the ferry centre. I was watching the episode I featured in and luckily I'm not on there for too long. I was at the part when Nick and Aaron are doing EVPs in the girl's room. Just to think that Zak and I were a few inches from there in the little room, cuddling. Yet no one apart from Zak and I knew that. Perhaps he had told Nick and Aaron by now but none of the audience knew that. I smiled at the secret.

As it was the summer holidays, the heat was high and the neighbours who have three young children were playing in their pool so I couldn't hear anything unless I closed the window which would be crazy in this heat. So I decided to stop watching the episode and read my book _pride and prejudice_ for class in the new term. But it's not long until my thoughts are back on Zak and I can't concentrate.

He had given me his number and the piece of paper had being lying on my desk since. It's not that I didn't want to text or ring him. I just didn't know what to say. Plus I had thought to myself it may have been a spare of the moment thing and that he didn't really like me. I mean we were both locked in for twelve whole hours. Perhaps that had made him act that way towards me.

I sigh and smile at the memory of the last day of the year. My friends and I decided to go down to the beach and not realising how hot it was, we all decided to jump into the sea with our clothes on. Then one of us decided to buy a disposable BBQ and we had a dinner on the beach. It was an amazing way to finish the year off. That was a week ago and since then I haven't seen them.

My phone begins to flash and lets me know I have a text message. It's my friend Megan: _Hey, me, Natasha and Jenna are all free and wondering if you wanted to meet up. If so, we're at the park_ _J_ _xx_

Megan is my best friend. I think we all are good friends, me and my group, but Megan and I have always been close. She too likes ghost adventures. I'd never told her about my experiences at the ferry centre until she watched the episode I was in. She was really jealous I got to meet them all. She thinks Zak is hot but she's more of a fan of Nick.

I reply saying I'll be there shortly. The sun is out with not a cloud in the sky. I can't miss a chance to go out on such a nice day. I take off my house clothes and change into a strapless summery top and light blue jeans. I also slip into some sandals.

"I'm off out," I say to mum. Dad was listening to music so I knew he wouldn't hear me.

"Where are you going?" My mum asks, concern written on her face. She always worries about me. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is anyone's opinion.

"To the park. I won't be out for long."

"Okay well be careful for roads." I nod and leave. Yep, my mum is a worrier. But I love her.

I arrive at the park and find only Megan sitting on the swings. Megan explains to me that Natasha and Jenna are in the shop both buying ice lollies for us.

"That's nice of them," I say, joining Megan on the swing next to her.

"Yeah. It feels weird with the others not being here." The others are Hannah and Georgia. They've both gone on holiday with their families and won't be back for a week.

"I watched an episode of ghost adventures before I came out."

Megan's face lights up in interest. "Oh my god same, which one did you watch?"

I was about to say the one I was in but then I felt like I would be rubbing it in her face. Megan only talked about me being in an episode once. I think she's jealous that I went which is understandable. So I try not to talk about it in front of her when I can help it.

"The one when they go to Scotland and Zak gives Mr Boots a challenge."

Megan begins to swing happily on the swing so I join in. "Ah I looove that one! It has to be one of my favourites."

"Yeah," I agree. "He was so brave to do that."

"I know right! And remember when he puts the teddy bear down and it moves a little by itself. That was so creepy."

"I know right. I think all of the ones they do are creepy."

"Especially the one you were in." Megan says in a cheerful voice. I smile at the possibility that I might be able to talk about it for once. "I so wish I could meet Nick."

I don't say anything and instead get lost in the feeling of swinging on my swing. Eventually Natasha and Jenna come out and smile when they see me. We talk the usual girly stuff while I have my ice lollie. Then eventually I begin to feel left out of the conversation when they begin to talk about driving lessons. I'm not yet old enough to take lessons yet.

That's when my phone buzzes in my bag. I take it out and see a text from my mum. I open it and it reads: _Maddy, could you come home please? We have a surprise for you xx_

Intrigued, I say to everyone that I have to leave.

"Ah okay Maddy, hopefully meet up again soon?" Jenna suggested.

"Bye Maddy, make sure you watch some more ghost adventures," Megan tells me with a smile.

"Will do, bye guys." And I leave, curiosity making me wonder what the surprise is.


	2. Chapter 2

I slowly walk up my garden path and then get to the door. I smile at the excitement I can feel. Has dad brought a dog? Has dad got a new job? I hesitantly open the door and step into the house.

The house is silent after I close the door. I turn round and look in the living room. I can't believe my eyes. Ten eyes are staring at me, five mouths smiling.

My mum and dad sit on the two separate arm chairs. Then Nick, Aaron and Zak sit on the settee.

"Nick, Aaron, Zak? Is that you?"

"No…we are a fragment of your imagination." Aaron jokes.

"Of course it's us!" Nick says.

"We said we'd come back." Zak smiles. I smile shyly.

"But…how did you know I was here?" I ask.

"They contacted us," My dad says. "Asking where we lived. I wondered how they had got your number, but Zak explained to us that he was the one who had texted me saying you were at a friends house. He got my number from there. And don't worry, they explained everything."

"Oh." Is all I can say. I'm trying to take in the fact that my dad seems so relaxed about me being locked in at night with a psycho ghost. I can only presume that because they're adults and that he can trust them.

"I love your budgies by the way," Zak said looking over at the cage. I have six altogether.

"Yes they are lovely," My mum says. "Even if they are too loud." We all laugh at this.

"Zak was just saying he'd like to take you to America," My dad said. "He wants to do a lockdown in…Alaska was it?" Zak nods in reply. "We're both fine with you going if you want to."

I stare at my dad. I would love to go. But going to America is such a big thing. It was so much to take in. One minutes I was at the park with my friends, then the next I meet Zak, Aaron and Nick once again which is a dream in itself only this time they are sitting in my living room and have managed to persuade my parents to take me to America for a lockdown.

I look at Zak. He's looking at me intently again like he had done back at the ferry centre. It would be wonderful to spend a night with him again. This time I would be on the show, taking part in the lock down. Ever since facing my fear of the old woman at the ferry centre, I feel like I can take on any ghost or demon. This could be my only chance to do that. This could be my only chance to see Zak and the others properly ever again.

"Okay," I say smiling.

Nick and Aaron leap up and cheer and both hug me.

"It's gonna be awesome!" Aaron enthuses.

"It'll be like last time only you'll be one of us," Nick chimes in.

Zak sits where is, smiling. I wish he could come and hug me too. But I try not to look bothered that he doesn't.

Once they leave for a night stay at a hotel near the seaside, my parents explain to me that they're going to pick me up at ten in the morning.

"We better help you pack," mum said.

Whilst packing we talk about ghost adventures as my mum is also a big fan. She's proud of me about facing my fear that had been giving me nightmares for so long. Ever since facing that ghost I haven't had a single nightmare since.

"Do you think I'll have to travel on a plane?"

"Of course you will," Mum said smiling.

Just like Zak, I have a fear of heights. Is there anyway I can back out now?


	3. Chapter 3

I slowly walk up my garden path and then get to the door. I smile at the excitement I can feel. Has dad brought a dog? Has dad got a new job? I hesitantly open the door and step into the house.

The house is silent after I close the door. I turn round and look in the living room. I can't believe my eyes. Ten eyes are staring at me, five mouths smiling.

My mum and dad sit on the two separate arm chairs. Then Nick, Aaron and Zak sit on the settee.

"Nick, Aaron, Zak? Is that you?"

"No…we are a fragment of your imagination." Aaron jokes.

"Of course it's us!" Nick says.

"We said we'd come back." Zak smiles. I smile shyly.

"But…how did you know I was here?" I ask.

"They contacted us," My dad says. "Asking where we lived. I wondered how they had got your number, but Zak explained to us that he was the one who had texted me saying you were at a friends house. He got my number from there. And don't worry, they explained everything."

"Oh." Is all I can say. I'm trying to take in the fact that my dad seems so relaxed about me being locked in at night with a psycho ghost. I can only presume that because they're adults and that he can trust them.

"I love your budgies by the way," Zak said looking over at the cage. I have six altogether.

"Yes they are lovely," My mum says. "Even if they are too loud." We all laugh at this.

"Zak was just saying he'd like to take you to America," My dad said. "He wants to do a lockdown in…Alaska was it?" Zak nods in reply. "We're both fine with you going if you want to."

I stare at my dad. I would love to go. But going to America is such a big thing. It was so much to take in. One minutes I was at the park with my friends, then the next I meet Zak, Aaron and Nick once again which is a dream in itself only this time they are sitting in my living room and have managed to persuade my parents to take me to America for a lockdown.

I look at Zak. He's looking at me intently again like he had done back at the ferry centre. It would be wonderful to spend a night with him again. This time I would be on the show, taking part in the lock down. Ever since facing my fear of the old woman at the ferry centre, I feel like I can take on any ghost or demon. This could be my only chance to do that. This could be my only chance to see Zak and the others properly ever again.

"Okay," I say smiling.

Nick and Aaron leap up and cheer and both hug me.

"It's gonna be awesome!" Aaron enthuses.

"It'll be like last time only you'll be one of us," Nick chimes in.

Zak sits where is, smiling. I wish he could come and hug me too. But I try not to look bothered that he doesn't.

Once they leave for a night stay at a hotel near the seaside, my parents explain to me that they're going to pick me up at ten in the morning.

"We better help you pack," mum said.

Whilst packing we talk about ghost adventures as my mum is also a big fan. She's proud of me about facing my fear that had been giving me nightmares for so long. Ever since facing that ghost I haven't had a single nightmare since.

"Do you think I'll have to travel on a plane?"

"Of course you will," Mum said smiling.

Just like Zak, I have a fear of heights. Is there anyway I can back out now?

They arrive in their grey van at five past ten the next day. I'm surprised they weren't later seeing as my road is hard to find. Zak is the one who comes out and knocks on the door. He immediately picks up my suitcase which isn't that heavy.

"Don't worry; we'll take care of her."

My mum gives me a worried kiss and tells me to take care of myself and my dad also gives me a kiss goodbye. Zak and I don't say anything to begin with. He opens the double doors for me where I find Aaron sitting and gives me huge smile. When I sit down and Zak gives me my suitcase, he says "Nice to see you again, Maddy." I smile and soon we're on our way to hotel.

"Hey Maddy," Zak said. "As it's a hot day we've decided to go down to the beach before we leave for the airport."

I tense at that word and Aaron notices.

"Don't you like aeroplanes?" He asks.

I shook my head. "I don't like heights."

"Me neither," Zak said. "But don't worry, we have each other."

I smile and Aaron smiles too.

"What?" I mouth trying not to smile.

"You totally like him." He mouths back.

"Ah man I love this song!" Zak said.

He turns the music up and _blame_ by Calvin Harris comes on. Zak and Aaron have a mini rave in the car while Nick bobs his head to the music and at the same time concentrating on the road. I smile. I remember how disappointed I felt when they left last time and how I wanted to go with them. Now here I am with them again.

I have to guide Nick as him and none of the others can remember the exact route to the beach despite them staying in a hotel the night before.

"It's the whole driving on the other side of the road thing too which confuses us," Aaron says. I nod, trying not to smile at this excuse.

Eventually we manage to find a car park and park the van for two hours. I feel strange as I walk with these three. They all laugh together and talk about how different English beaches are to American ones. I'm glad the weather is good so that England can show that there is occasionally good weather.

Nick and Aaron find a spot where only three people are in the sea. They decide to jump straight down and get into the water, fully clothed. While they both behave like children by splashing each other, Zak and I sit on the rocks that help defend the sea from rising in case there was a flood.

"Why is the beach separated into sections?" Zak asks.

"It's so there's no floods." I explain.

We don't talk at first. I feel too hot with my black skinny jeans on. I wonder if Zak feels hot too being dressed in just black clothing. I remember the last time we met at the café we had this discussion of black clothing in hot weather.

"I didn't know England could get this hot," Zak laughs.

I look at him and he's smiling at me. Although I can't see what his eyes are doing as he's wearing dark shades.

"Yeah, it's very rare though."

He nods and looks back at the sea. I smile as I see Nick and Aaron behaving like kids. I have the urge to join them despite wearing black jeans. But I feel like I can't leave Zak. I feel like he needs to tell me something.

"Maddy," He eventually says. "I need to talk about something."

"Yeah?"

I feel him turn towards me so I turn to him too.

"I want to apologise for what I did last time."

"What happened last time?"

He sighs. "About locking the door and then taking the sim card out of your phone when you tried to text your dad."

So that explained why my phone didn't turn on. He must have texted my dad when I had gone to the toilet back in the ferry centre.

"It's fine," I smile.

"No it's not," He said, moving slightly closer to me. "It was dangerous what I did. You weren't professional enough to deal with a ghost like her. She could've killed you."

"I wasn't a…object to lure her to me?"

"No!" Zak almost shouts.

I look around. An elderly couple walking along the promenade look our way. Zak bows his head.

"You're weren't," Zak said quietly. "I would never do that to you."

"So why…" I trail off.

"I didn't want you to leave," He explains. I can see him becoming uncomfortable. Yeah I was definitely dreaming. This guy who I have had a crush on for a long time is telling me he didn't want me to leave. Stuff like this doesn't happen.

"Why?" I press. Why was I doing this? It was obvious he felt uncomfortable.

I could see he was about to say something but Nick and Aaron call us.

"Come on, the water's amazing!" Nick shouts.

"Even if it is the colour of mud!" Aaron adds.

I smile. He is right: the colour of British sea isn't blue at all.

"Come on," Zak said, holding his hand out. "Let's have fun while we're here."

I agree by taking his hand and running with him towards the water. Whatever he wanted to say could wait seeing as I would be with him and the others for at least two days or more.

When we get to the sea Aaron throws me over his shoulder and I laugh and get him to put me down. He does…in the water. I stand up soaked while Nick, Aaron and Zak are laughing. I trudge through the water to get to Zak who is running away. I manage, with the help of Aaron and Nick to get him in the water. We splash each other for ages and then I decide to swim out to some of the rocks and sit on them. I watch as the three mess around.

I never would have thought I would see this scene in front of me. I never thought I would see the ghost adventures crew messing around in my hometown sea while I sat on the rocks and watched. Then knowing that I would soon be on my way to America for the first time ever to actually star in one of their shows. I smiled at how lucky I felt.

I watched Zak as he smiled at the water covering him. He had taken off his t shirt by now and his muscles were on full display. I noticed some young girls about my age walk past and look him, giggling to each other. For some reason I felt a stab of jealously. He wasn't mine and I knew he never would be. He was just my crush. I know we had once kissed but that had just been a spare of the moment thing. I shouldn't have felt jealous. But I did. I decide to look else where. I look up at the cloudless sky. I'll be up there soon. I know it'll be scary. But I want to do this.

"Hey daydreamer."

Zak is in the sea below me, looking up at me. I can just about make out his arms and how big they are in the water. No wonder those girls looked. I would have if I saw someone who looked like him at the beach.

"Hey," I smile. "Having fun?"

He shrugs. "It'd be better if you were there."

"I don't want to get in the water. I want to dry my jeans out before going back to the hotel."

"How do you plan on getting out?" He asked with that familiar Vegas accent.

"I'll climb along the rocks." I said.

"That doesn't look very safe." He tells me.

I shrug.

"If you come down from there, I can carry you back to shore."

"How do I know you won't just drop me?"

"I promise I won't."

I decide to trust him. I manage to climb down the rocks. When I get to him, he puts me over one if his shoulders. I get a little wet because where I was sitting was slightly deep. But eventually I'm no where near the water. I hold onto his strong back as he walks me back. This is amazing!

We decide to leave once our clothes dry off a bit. We drive back to the hotel and I wait in the small lounge they have while they pack after I have changed into different clothes. My jeans didn't fully dry out in the end.

"You should've just swum back," Zak had teased.

"Didn't you want to carry me?" I ask.

"I did actually. You're so small and cute."

"Thanks." I smile anyway.

Once all of the boys have changed, it's nearly four o'clock.

"We should get there in time," Nick says as the van begins to drive down the A14. "The plane leaves at five."

This is it, I think to myself while I listen to Aaron chat to me. I am going to America to feature on one of my favourite TV shows ever. This really was a dream come true!


	4. Chapter 4

The plane was going into flight and I could feel my heart beat rapidly inside my ribcage. I gripped the arm rests tightly, like the floor was going to give out and I was going to fall altogether. Zak sat beside me while Nick and Aaron sat behind us.

"Are you okay?" I heard Zak say beside me. How could he feel this relaxed?

"No, not really."

"You feel like you're going to fall right?" I nod. "I felt like that when I first boarded a plane. But I go on them nearly all of the time I'm use to it."

I looked out of the small window and noticed that we were fully in the air now and the plane was going smoothly through the candyfloss clouds. But I still didn't feel at ease.

"What are Nick and Aaron doing?" I would've looked myself but I was too small to look behind me.

Zak looked for me. He smiled and whispered, "I think they're both asleep."

"I don't feel tired." I smiled.

"Neither do."

We didn't say anything for a little bit. It was a nice feeling to know he was just sitting next to me. But looking out made me feel sick and hearing people talk so calmly made me jealous. I wanted to talk more but I felt like anything I would do would cause something bad to happen.

"Listen," Zak said. "To make you feel more at ease, do you want me to tell you about where we're investigating?"

"Yes please."

"Okay so we're going to this house where supposedly a man and his daughter lived in the 1970's. The mom died when the girl, who's called Jane, was five from an illness. Ten years later in 1975 the girl died from the same illness when she was fifteen. Due to the death of his wife and daughter with ten years apart, the man committed suicide in the house."

I immediately felt chills run up my spine. But I listened to what else Zak had to say. The more I knew, the better the communication would be.

"A year after his suicide, a family moved in and they experienced strange going ons such as things mysteriously falling or things going missing. None of this could be explained. In 1983, a family with two young daughters moved in and they experienced stranger things. The eldest daughter was fifteen and she experienced being stroked on the cheek by a cold presence or her hair brushes going missing. This was believed to be the daughter who had died, perhaps thinking it was her hair brush. Anyway that's the outline I have. I'm sure the people there will explain it in more detail."

I nodded and looked back out the window. This was going to be an interesting lockdown.

The plane finally landed and there were dark clouds in the sky, looking as if they were going to rain any moment.

"Come on guys," Zak said. "Let's get the van and drive to the hotel."

After a minute of being in the van it started to pour down with rain. I smiled, reminding me what typical British weather is like.

"Remind you of home, huh?" Nick asked, turning round briefly as he was the one driving.

"Yeah," I laugh.

Just then I caught Zak's eye in the rear view mirror. He looked concerned. I gave him a smile and he smiled back but he still looked worried.

We finally arrived at the hotel and Zak made the bookings while Nick, Aaron and I brought in the luggage. After Zak had booked, we all wondered up the stairs to room five. When we entered, there was a double bed and then another double bed in the room adjoining it.

"I guess this was the only room they had left," Zak said.

"Well I am not sharing with Zak because I know for a fact he snores," Aaron said and walked through to the adjoining room.

"I don't mind who I share with, as long as I can sleep in the next five minutes." Nick said.

We decided that Nick and Aaron would share and me and Zak would share.

"I don't mind sleeping on the floor," I offer.

"No, no, I'll sleep on the floor." Zak said smiling.

I was getting my book out to read before bed when in the corner of my eye I saw Zak taking his top off. He had his back to me so I sneaked a peek at his bare back.

I almost melted inside! His back looked so strong and toned. And the tattoo on his back I could finally see. He was closing the curtains and then turned round. I just about managed to avert my eyes to my book but could feel myself furiously blushing.

"What are you reading?" Zak asked, sitting down next to me on the bed.

" _Pride and Prejudice,_ " I reply.

"Ah awesome. A proper British book, eh?" He said in a completely rubbish British accent.

"Dude I heard that accent and it sucked!" I heard Aaron call from the other room.

"Oh yeah, I would like to see you do better!" Zak teased.

Aaron said a normal sentence in an attempt of a British accent which wasn't brilliant but better than Zak's.

"Now whose was better?" Zak asked.

"It has to be Aaron's." I admitted, grinning.

"See! Thank you Maddy."

I looked at Zak. I thought he would be annoyed but he was just smiling at me. My fringe had fallen in front of my eye. He gently tucked it behind my ear.

"I'll leave you to read," He said softly. He walked round to where he had put a make shift mattress down.

"Hey Zak, we're floor buddies!" Nick called through before they went to sleep.

I read for a little while until I realised that both rooms were still. Aaron and Nick's room was in darkness and I could hear soft snoring. Zak however was snoring louder. I crawled along the bed and looked down at Zak. His torso was completely revealed due to the duvet no longer being on him. I just wanted to pick him up and put him in bed with me. I just wanted him to…kiss me again? I felt confused. I'd gotten on really well with him but those feelings I had had when I met him face to face two months ago were drifting back to me.

I went to sleep eventually, with the thoughts of the day to come, home, Nick and Aaron and most importantly…ZAK.


	5. Chapter 5

I opened my eyes and saw Zak sitting at the end of my bed, looking down at his phone. I could also hear Nick and Aaron in the other room laughing at something. I sat up which made Zak stop looking at his phone and look at me.

"Good morning sleepy head! I thought I might have had to wake you up."

"What time is it?"

"Nearly eight," He replied looking at his watch.

"And what time do we need to be at the location?"

"At half eight."

I immediately sprung to action by grabbing any clothes nearest to me I could find.

"Hey Maddy you don't need to rush," Zak said grabbing my hand.

"I only have half an hour to get ready," I exclaimed.

"Man I love your accent." He said softly.

I felt myself relax slightly.

"It doesn't matter if we're a little late," Zak reassured me. "Take all the time you want."

"Not two hours," Nick said, coming through to our room with the camera and other such equipment.

"Yeah not that long," Zak agreed.

We both forgot that we were holding hands and realised what Nick was grinning at. I hurriedly let go and went into the bathroom. I brushed my hair quickly and slipped into a pair of dark blue jeans and a white plain top. I looked awful but I knew I needed to hurry.

When I walked out Aaron was sitting on the bed on his phone.

"Where are the others?"

"Oh Nick is loading the van and Zak is clarifying with reception that we won't be coming back until tomorrow morning. We better go."

Before he walks out the door I call his name.

"Do you think I look alright?" I ask.

"You look wonderful; no wonder Zak can't keep his eyes off you."

I feel myself blush. Was he joking or being serious? I followed Aaron out anyway, ready to take part in this lockdown.


	6. Chapter 6

We arrived at the destination and there were thick dark clouds up in the sky.

"What's the odds that it's gonna rain?" Aaron said beside me.

"Quite high I reckon," I comment, looking up at the angry clouds.

Nick pulled the clutch up and heard him unbuckling his seat belt.

"It won't matter seeing as we'll be inside most of the time," Zak said.

I had begun unbuckling my seat belt when the door beside me opened. I looked and found Zak standing in front of me with door open, smiling.

"Out you get," He said.

He helped me down seeing as the van was quite large. I stood aside whilst Nick, Aaron and Zak sorted their equipment out. The air felt heavy and muggy. The summers in England were usually like this.

Our lockdown was in a large house that stood before me. It was brown bricked with a large red front door and had white steps leading up to the front door. It looked like quite a homely house and I couldn't believe that any ghostly activity was going on inside.

"Okay Maddy, we're ready," Nick said.

After the count of three, Zak spoke to the camera.

"On this lockdown we have a special guest with us today." Nick and Aaron both pointed their camera at me. "This is Maddy and you may recognise her from the lockdown from the last series when we visited England and she was the tour guide of the ferry centre. So Maddy, what are your thoughts on this lockdown?"

"I'm…excited," I said in a very squeaky voice. I managed to clear my throat quickly. "I'm also nervous. I don't know what to expect."

"Don't worry you're with three professionals here," Aaron said and we all laughed.

"Okay let's see whose inside," Zak said and started walking towards the front door.

I could feel the cameras following me. I wanted to smile at how happy I felt right now. It felt amazing to be taking part in this programme and to think that loads of people from perhaps all over the world will be watching this. But I knew that I couldn't smile as this was a serious programme.

After Zak had knocked, an elderly couple came to the door and were introduced to us and the cameras. We all huddled into the hallway and Zak asked them questions about the house.

"So what type of activity have you both experienced here?"

The man spoke first. "Well we didn't actually know about any of the history of the house before we moved in. No one actually told us."

Then the woman spoke. "It mainly happened in the room we slept in which use to be the father's room. We used to hear rapid shuffling along the floor, like someone was rushing around."

"We also heard," The man continued. "Whisperings in the day such as: _this is my room_."

"Have you caught any evidence of this?" Zak asked.

They both produced a tape recorder that they had left running for a few hours. The audio quality wasn't that good but you could hear a faint whisper that almost sounded like _get out._

A few other people were also interviewed. The family with the two daughters who had lived previously in the house explained that in the small room at the front of the house could be heard faint coughing sounds. This was believed to be the daughter's room where she had died.

"Once I was sleeping in there," the woman, who was the teenage girl who had slept in that room, begun. "I could hear faint crying sounds coming from near the door. I thought perhaps it was my little sister so I walked out of the room and checked on her and she was fast asleep. So I came back in and tried to get back to sleep but this time I heard the crying and also a faint sound of scratching on the wall. I turned my light on and I clearly see this girl sitting against the wall."

"Could you see her face?" Zak asked.

"No her face wasn't facing me. So I screamed and she just disappeared."

"Why do you think she disappeared?"

"I don't know. Perhaps she wanted me to help her because I was her age when she would've died. Perhaps when I screamed it scared her."

I looked at the spot where the girl had been sitting. I walked over to it and on the wall I could see very faint scratch marks.

"Zak, look at this."

The three of them walked over to where I was and filmed the scratches on the wall.

"Wow, see that is clear evidence that that girl had been here." Zak looked at the woman. "Why do you think she was by herself?"

"Perhaps she's lost. Perhaps her dad is too and that's why they make these sounds so that they can find each other."

We went round into the other rooms. The woman who had seen the girl told us that this house was never haunted before the girl died and her father committed suicide. No deaths had happened in the house and if they had the spirits had never haunted the house.

"So these spirits must be lost if they can't find each other," Zak said to the camera.

Just at that moment I felt something touch my hand. I flinched, thinking it was Nick or Aaron. But I was standing no where near either of them.

"Are you okay, Maddy?"

"Erm…I swear I felt something touch my hand. I thought it was one of you guys but…" I trailed off. The room had fallen silent.

"Actually," The woman said. "The girl who had died in the seventies does looks like Maddy."

I felt my whole body turn cold.

"Do you have a picture of her?" Zak asked.

"I don't but I know there was a picture here once. We found it in the attic when we moved in."

"Do you think it's still there?"

"It might be."


	7. Chapter 7

I sat outside in the van, looking at the house. Once I saw that picture I knew I had to leave. The girl didn't look like me exactly but she had the same hair and eyes as me. Her hair was a mousy brown and wavy like mine and her eyes were a dark, silvery blue like mine. It was the hair and eyes that made me feel cold inside.

I saw Aaron coming out of the house with his camera swinging by his side. Seeing him made me feel softer and less afraid inside. I smiled.

"You okay?" He asked, sitting down next to me.

"Not really."

"Zak asked me to see if you were okay."

"What's he doing in there?" I asked. I try to kill the anger that I felt then. He would rather investigate a stupid house than come and see if I was alright for a just a few minutes.

"He's trying to communicate with the spirits. I don't think he's having much luck."

There was silence for a moment. The sound of distant traffic could be heard.

"This house gives me the creeps," Aaron said.

"Why?"

He pointed at the window at the front, where the girl's room had been.

"That was the window the dad jumped out of and right there on the grass was where they found him, his neck broken from the fall."

"Wow that…is creepy. Aaron I don't think I can do this."

"Of course you can. I always feel like this before a lockdown."

"But that girl looked like me. That's just…weird."

"I know…you wanted to do this though."

"I do, I do. I just wish it was another place that's all."

Just then Zak and Nick had begun walking out of the house towards us. Zak didn't say anything to us but instead was listening to an EVP recording he had received. He closed the driver door on himself immediately.

"Chin up," Nick said smiling at me.

"She's scared like me," Aaron said. "Do we have to do this?"

"You're always scared, and yes we do." Nick sat down next to me. "Why are you scared? You were so brave on the lockdown at the ferry centre."

"It's the picture Nick. She looked like me so much."

"I know but…you're brave deep down. You'll be fine. Plus this is what you really wanted."

That was true. Nick and Aaron had helped themselves to some snacks that had been brought along. They offered me some but I didn't feel like eating.

"Nick, Aaron," I said. They looked at me. "Don't tell Zak I'm scared."

They both smiled but nodded. I looked back at the house. I was going to do this. I was going to do this. I was going to do this.


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay so we've now been locked in," Zak begun once the door had officially been locked. "We're just going to quickly go over our X cameras. In total we have three. One of them is here…"

I stopped listening. I hadn't spoken to Zak since he helped me out the car. It wasn't that I didn't want to. It was because he was too engrossed into this lockdown. It was nice to watch him act so passionately about what he believed in. But not once had he asked how I was after walking out earlier on. But still, I wanted to be here and it was still my dream no matter what.

"Okay night vision on and let's begin."

Everything had gone into darkness and the only thing I could see was the tiny screen from my camera. We first walked into the living room. I walked slowly so not to accidentally bump into any crockery that the couple had on the tables. The room was eerily silent and the only sounds made were the sounds of us walking. It felt so strange to be here. So many times I had watched them in lockdowns and when watching it you don't realise how scary it really is.

"Are you okay Maddy?" Nick asked.

I looked up and saw him looking at me, his camera facing me. I smiled and nodded. Deep down I wanted to run out of here. But I was here now and I knew I wanted to do this.

"Okay so right now we've just entered the lockdown and we haven't─"

Just as Zak was about to say we hadn't heard anything, a loud bang was heard from upstairs as if something had just fallen. This made me yelp a little and felt instantly embarrassed afterwards.

"What was that?" Aaron said.

"I don't know, sounded like something had fallen." I said.

"You guys stay down here, I'm going to up stairs." Zak said.

He grabbed a camera and then walked out. None of us decided to talk and instead listened to the sound of Zak walking up the stairs and him asking questions.

"I don't know about you guys but I feel as though there is an uneasy feeling in here." Aaron said.

Just then I heard a murmur near my ear. It felt scratchy and cold.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked with his camera on me.

"It felt like someone whispered in my ear." I said.

Nick then decided to retrieve a recorder to see if he could get any voices. Zak also came down stairs and Aaron explained what had happened.

"Are you alright?" Zak asked concern in his voice.

I nodded. I couldn't speak. I could also feel the uneasy energy inside this room.

We were in the living room for a few more minutes and Nick received a C grade EVP which sounded like a male murmur.

We all went back to base and talked about what we were going to do next.

"I think Aaron and Maddy," Zak said. "Should go down to the basement where the father use to apparently spend a lot of his time drinking after the death of his daughter. Nick and I will go back into the living room and see if we can catch anything else in there."

I liked Aaron but I wished I was with either Nick or Zak as they seemed braver than Aaron. Plus I was probably just as scared as Aaron was and if we were both scared then we probably wouldn't be in there long enough.

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked as we walked along in the darkness.

I was aware about the cameras and knew that many people would soon be watching this. I didn't want to appear as a coward so I nodded.

"You know it's alright to say you're scared," Aaron said. "Everyone knows I'm the one who gets freaked out the most."

I laughed. "Yeah that's true."

I wondered then what Zak was doing. As we walked down the steps to the basement I couldn't hear Zak talking, only Nick. The basement itself was partially empty. From the screen I could see a few bits and pieces scattered around.

"Okay so I have a recorder here," Aaron said speaking to his own camera. "I'm going to ask some questions and see if I can get a response."

Aaron asked questions that mainly addressed the father such as 'how did you feel when you were down here?' or 'did the drinking help you?' Questions such as the last one brought in an angry energy that apparently only I could feel.

"Aaron can you feel that?"

"What?" He asked, facing his camera at me.

Just then I heard a clear voice say: _come back to me_.

"Aaron please say you heard that." My voice had begun to shake.

"No. What did he say?"

Before I could answer I felt something cold hit me in the chest which made me almost fall.

"Whoa are you alright?" Aaron asked coming over to me and grabbing my arm so I didn't lose balance.

"No…I felt this coldness just hit me in the chest."

I all of sudden felt like I was nine again back at the ferry centre in England where I had had my first ghostly encounter. The way I felt, scared and alone, came flooding back.

"I feel alone," I said.

"I'm here, don't worry." Aaron said. Still holding on to my arm, he spanned his camera round and said "Did you do this to her?"

Just then somewhere on the other side of basement, a loud crash was heard. Surprisingly I didn't scream like I had done earlier but I gasped.

"Oh man we need to get out of here."

"But…we need to get more evidence."

"We've got some. Zak and Nick can come down here if they want to."

They did once we told them what had happened. Zak found that one of the storage shelves had fallen and that was what had caused the loud crash. That was when Zak decided to get the spirit box and start asking questions.

"Why did you hurt Maddy?" He asked.

The static noise from the spirit box filled the room. It was just as loud as it was on TV.

" _Katy_." A deep voice came through.

"Wasn't that the daughter's name?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah it was." Nick said.

"What about Katy? Do you think Maddy looks like your daughter?"

A few seconds after Zak asked this question, a clear _yes_ came through the box.

"Guys I feel really cold." My voice sounded weak as well.

"I think we should get out of here." Nick said, looking at me. "Maddy doesn't look too good."

"No I feel alright." I said. Although I did start to feel tired.

"Okay let's go back to base."


	9. Chapter 9

I felt better once we ate some snacks and also reviewed some footage. We had not yet seen any visual footage but on my camera when I heard a close murmur to my ear, it had in fact been a whisper which said _come back_.

"I think you should go to Katy's room." Zak said to me.

"Dude, is that a good idea?" Aaron said.

"No I think it is." Nick said. "It will either lure the daughter or the dad to the room. But are you okay with doing it?"

"Yeah, it will get you evidence." I said. I looked at Zak who smiled at me.

I was soon walking up the stairs by myself. My head had become clammy with sweat and my mouth had turned dry.

"Are you alright up there?" Zak called up.

"Yeah!" I called back down.

I then realised that I was filming for a TV show and were probably wondering what I was doing. I stopped outside the girl's room and turned the camera to me.

"So the team have decided that I should go inside the girl's room as apparently I look like her. This may provoke either one of the spirits." I realised that talking to the camera made me feel calmer. It felt as though the camera was someone who was coming in with me. "I have a digital recorder with me; hopefully I can pick up some sounds."

I opened the door which creaked and then closed it behind me.

"You don't realise how dark it is in here right now. I'm going to put the camera here," I explained as I placed the camera down on the bedside table. "We also have the X camera there," I explained pointing to the camera near the door.

I lie on the bed with the recorder in my hand.

"Is anyone with me right now?" I asked. "Can you please do something or say something to let me know your presence?"

I hear nothing for a few minutes. I can hear the guys down stairs in the kitchen, the spirit box making its static noise. I have a yearning feeling for Zak to be with me right now.

Without realising to begin with, I hear a faint murmuring sound near the end of the bed. I sit up in the pitch black.

"Hello?" I said.

I'm nine again in the girl's dormitory in the pitch blackness. This was how I felt back then. Only last time there were people with me. This time I was alone. I want to say more but I feel as though my voice has gone. I don't say anything. I don't say I can't do this. I decide instead to close my eyes, hoping to blank out how scared I felt.


	10. Chapter 10

I open my eyes and discover that the room is filled no longer with darkness but instead day light. I sit up and look around. No one is in the room with me. Why was it daylight? Surely the boys would have woken me up if I had fallen asleep and wouldn't have let me sleep all the way through a lock down.

"What the hell?" I say.

I sit up and then see something that makes me gasp in shock. I'm lying in the bed, my eyes closed in the outfit I was wearing. I look down at myself and see that I'm still wearing that outfit. The recorder I had in my hand is also still there. I'm holding it to me as if it was a toy. I realise that the light shining into the room is too bright for it to be normal.

I decide to try and reach for the digital recorder in my hand. I know that it is a dream but I need to have it with me in case I catch any recordings. When I go to touch it a static shock goes up my arm.

"Ow!" I exclaim.

I realise then that I can no longer hear the boys downstairs trying to communicate with the spirits. I go to the door and I'm about to open it when I hear my name being called from outside. I slowly walk to the window and look out. Nick and Aaron are standing in the middle of the road, waving up at me and smiling. Zak is more nearer to the window, also smiling and waving.

I slide open the window and look down.

"What are you doing out there?" I call down.

But they don't respond. They keep repeating my name. Only they're not waving but instead using hand gestures to beckon me down.

"I can't get out." I said.

That's when I hear a loud bang on the door behind me. When I turn back to look out of the window, I see Nick and Aaron lying in the road, blood around them. Zak is no longer there but instead Katy's dad is there, smiling up at me.

"Come down Katy."

"No!" I scream when I realise that Nick and Aaron are dead. The banging behind me continues.

I continue to scream and as I keep screaming, I feel a cold hand touch me on the shoulder.


	11. Chapter 11

"Maddy!"

I start and almost fall back but Zak's hands catch me. I can hear myself breathing heavily, as though I've been under water for ages.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Zak asked. A light was now switched on so I could see his face clearly.

"Why is the light on? It was day light." I said.

"No it's not." Nick explains. "What were you doing?"

That's when I realise I feel a cold breeze against my cheek. The window is fully open. I look out and see nothing but pitch blackness.

"Maddy, if we hadn't come here in time, you would've jumped out of the window." Nick explains.

I look at Zak who is holding me tightly on both arms. "What?"

"Your leg was out of the window," Zak almost shouted. "What the hell were you doing?"

I can feel tears sting my eyes. I've never seen Zak this angry before, not even on TV.

"I don't know…" I trail off.

"Zak let go of her," Aaron said, coming over and pulling him away.

For a moment all Zak does is stare at me. His face is a mixture of anger and concern. For some reason I do nothing but full to the floor and slip out of Zak's grasp. I feel drained all of a sudden. It feels as though nothing matters: me nearly jumping out of the window or Zak being concerned.

"You guys, why don't you go back to base while I speak to Maddy." I hear Zak's distant voice say.

I hear Nick and Aaron say something but I feel too far away to hear what they said. I hear the door close and Zak switches the main light on. He walks to the window and I hear him close it. He holds out his hand but I just look at it.

"Come on," He said in a gentler voice. "I'm sorry if I got angry with you."

I feel his hands gently clasp around my arms and I let him pull me over to the bed where we both sit on the edge of it. He doesn't say anything at first. Perhaps he knows how I'm feeling and that eventually I'll come round which I do after about five minutes. I decide to speak first.

"I don't know what I was doing," I explain.

In the corner of my eye I could see Zak turn towards me. I feel him shuffle closer to me.

"Maddy…I think you were slightly possessed."

"What? But…"

"Not by an evil spirit. Can you remember what happened?"

I explain everything. I explained how I came in here and laid on the bed in darkness. I closed my eyes and then opened them to find that daylight was pouring through the windows. Then I saw myself and then saw him, Nick and Aaron outside wanting me to come down. Then I heard banging against the door which made me turn round and when I turned back Nick and Aaron were dead in the road and Katy's dad was outside wanting me to come down.

"That was when I felt your hand touch me," I finish. "But it was cold. It was like you were the ghost."

Zak didn't say anything at first. He nodded and I could tell he was thinking. He then took my hand in his. My hands felt like mice in his hands.

"It may have been me who touched you or Katy. Perhaps she now knows where her dad is and realises it wasn't you. The banging on the door you heard was probably me. You may have been in limbo between the dead and the living."

This revelation made me shiver. That's when Zak put his arm round me and pulled me into him. I felt safe now. Safer than I had felt within the past hour. I grabbed onto his arms which surrounded me protectively.

"I should never have let you go up there by yourself." He said, resting his chin on my head. "I should have known something like this was going to happen."

"Zak it was fine." I knew it wasn't and he probably did too. But I didn't want him to feel guilty. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Just about. We were calling for you and there was no answer. That's when I knew something had happened or was happening. Then when the door was locked─"

"The door wasn't locked." I point out.

"It was. I had to barge it down. That's when I found you with your leg out of the window and you about to duck underneath it. You were so close to falling out of it." He then clutched me closer to him.

I knew then that another entity had locked the door and I think Zak knew too. We didn't speak about it any further.

We both decided to go downstairs after a while. I explained everything to Aaron and Nick while Zak reviewed the recorder I had taken in with me.


	12. Chapter 12

I didn't sleep too well once we'd gotten back to the hotel. I couldn't hear Zak's usual snores so I presumed he wasn't sleeping either. But I didn't feel like asking.

Aaron woke me up in the morning. He knocked and in his cheery voice said "Come on Maddy, up you get. We have a flight to catch to take you back."

Instantly hearing his voice made me somehow feel happier. I sat up in bed and stretched. I still felt tired but I knew that I needed to dress, brush my hair and pack.

It took me around twenty minutes to get ready. I simply pulled on my leavers hoody from school and a pair of black jeans.

But whilst I was brushing my hair, trying not to think about what had happened yesterday, I heard a faint whisper. To begin with I thought Zak was outside, trying to get my attention. But then I knew he wouldn't have whispered. So I stopped and listened carefully again, hoping I would hear the whisper.

" _Thank you_." I heard a deep voice whisper. No one was in my room.

Then I realised. It was the man. I knew he was thanking me for helping him find his daughter. I smiled, knowing that I had helped two trapped spirits.

With my suitcase, I made my way down to the car park where the boys were waiting for me. Zak walked up to me and gently took my suitcase from me.

"Everything alright?" He asked. I realised I hadn't seen him since last night.

"Yeah. Thanks for yesterday, Zak."

"Don't mention it. I was glad I was there in time."

He smiled at me and I smiled back. I knew Zak would always be there for me. I wish I had spoken to him last night. But perhaps he had been sleeping after all.


	13. Chapter 13

The flight surprisingly didn't take that long. This may have been because I decided to sleep during the flight. When I woke up, I could feel Zak's hand touching mine. He wasn't holding my hand but his hand was brushing the skin of mine.

Once we landed, Zak and I waited with the suitcases while Aaron and Nick went to get the van. It was night time at standstead.

"Man I'm tired." I yawned.

"Jet lag," Zak said. "It's a shame you don't like coffee."

I smiled. I was tempted to tell Zak about the ghost of the man we had helped yesterday and how he had thanked me for what I'd done. But I decided not to. Not because I didn't trust Zak. I felt like it was good to have my own secret and that the reason the ghost thanked me was because I had helped him.

"Maddy?" Zak said.

"Yeah?"

I could sense he was facing me so I looked at him.

"Me and the guys were wondering if you might want to join us?"

I stared at him. This had to be some sort of joke. They wanted me to be part of the gang.

"Are you being serious or are joking around?"

"No we're being serious." Zak smiled a warm smile. "We love how well you coped yesterday, being a beginner. We think you'd do well. It's something you feel enthusiastic about so… will you join us?"

All I could do was smile. Of course I would join them! The prospect of seeing Zak more often made me immediately say yes. We hugged each other after my answer until Nick and Aaron finally came round with the van.


End file.
